Garrett Gomez	Javier Castellano
John Velazquez	Kent Desormeaux
NTRA photos

Top jockeys Javier Castellano, Kent Desormeaux, Garrett Gomez, and John Velazquez recently discussed the process that brought them to their Kentucky Derby (G1) mounts with Thoroughbred Times writers Jeff Lowe and Frank Angst.

Castellano has ridden in two previous Derbys, including a seventh place finish in 2005 on Bellamy Road; Desormeaux has wins aboard Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 in 14 starts; Gomez finished seventh aboard Southern Rhythm in four starts, and Velazquez finished second on Invisible Ink in 2001 in nine starts.

THOROUGHBRED TIMES: Garrett, what was the process that led you and your agent, Ron Anderson, to pick Court Vision for your Derby mount?

Garrett Gomez: The last decision I kind of leave to what my agent [Ron Anderson] thinks. We waited things out. Court Vision had run on a couple dirt tracks, he’s run at Churchill Downs, and he’s had a couple good races. We knew Colonel John was a nice horse, but the problem was that he has never run on dirt and never run outside of California. You weigh what you have.
At the time, we had a couple others in the process, too. We had Z Fortune. We just whittled our way down, crossing horses out, and ended up with Court Vision.

TT: What did you think of his third-place finish in the Wood Memorial [Stakes (G1)]?

Gomez: I was real disappointed with his race. Especially with the fractions and the way things set up, I thought he should have been able to get it done. It was a funny racetrack, also. Since then, they’ve added blinkers, and hopefully that will wake him up. I am looking forward to it. I’m supposed to fly back into town on [April 29] and work him. I am excited to see what it’s going to be like.

TT: Kent, you were on Cool Coal Man and Big Brown came along later in the year. Was that an obvious decision to you to stay on Big Brown, even before [Cool Coal Man’s ninth-place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1)]?

Kent Desormeaux: I had the luxury of the respect of Nick Zito, who left me on Cool Coal Man with an attempt to see how things played out. You could probably point your finger at the Polytrack [in the Blue Grass], but I don’t think that’s why Cool Coal Man didn’t perform as well as he could. I think Nick had his own reasons, and he knows what they are. It certainly leaves it obvious to ride Big Brown.
None of that camp could think that they could want to put the hammer down and try to press me to ride Cool Coal Man when he performed in such a manner.
I’m pretty satisfied. The fact of the matter is that with Big Brown, it’s his race to lose. He’s the fastest horse on the racetrack. He’s got a couple hurdles to make. That’s going to be experience and maybe some dirt. I’m not saying he will, but he may have to deal with some dirt. He’s so intelligent, I think he could be 15th and win.

TT: John, you have a unique relationship with Todd Pletcher. Does it work out that you and [agent Angel Cordero Jr.] basically make the decisions on who you will ride or is it something that you guys talk about with Todd, particularly in a case like the Blue Grass where you ended up on Cowboy Cal and Todd also had Monba in the race?

John Velazquez: We were riding [Cowboy Cal] before and [Edgar Prado] rode Monba. The decision was pretty easy that we decided to stay with Cowboy Cal. It did come up, which one we wanted to ride, and since we had never ridden the other one and thought Polytrack would probably help our horse coming from the grass, it was an easy decision. It turned out to be the wrong decision, Monba came back to beat me.
At the time, it was an easy decision.

TT: Javier, you just picked up a Derby horse just recently, how did that work out?
Javier Castellano: I got Big Truck because [Eibar Coa] was riding him and he decided to ride [Tale of Ekati]. Big Truck was open, and they called me. He’s a pretty nice horse. He’s a New York-bred, and he had a good race when he won the Tampa Bay Derby (G3). He obviously didn’t handle the track in the Blue Grass, and I think he’ll move forward in the Derby.

TT: You’ve probably all been on the end where a trainer goes with a different jockey and on the end where you pick up a mount over another jockey. What’s the key of keeping a good relationship when these types of decisions are made?

Velazquez: You have to have great communication with the people you’re riding for. I think that’s what can help you in any moment like that when it comes to a big race. If they have to make a change, they’re going to think of you right away. That’s basically how it happens.
 
Desormeaux: The best way to stay on their good side is if you take off their horse, you better win. If you take off their horse and get beat, especially if you get beat by them, then you’re in trouble. They’ve got owners to explain and have got a difficult job themselves. The trainers want the winning jockeys so you have to be very, very careful. In the end, you better win.

Velazquez: A lot of times people don’t understand that sometimes you’re already committed to somebody else. People will say, ‘Wait a minute, you were riding this horse and now you’re riding another horse.’ It maybe wasn’t by choice, you were already committed to that race for somebody else and all of the sudden the last minute the other horse got into the race.
Sometimes what we have to do then, and this is what’s the trouble, is we have to jump off the horse that we’re already committed to. Sometimes you get stuck with that horse because you’re not let out of the commitment, and you’re stuck with a horse whether it’s better or not. Believe me, sometimes it’s not for the better because the horse is not better than the horse you would be riding if they let you out of the commitment.
People will say, ‘It doesn’t make sense,’ but it does make sense if you give the call away and now you can’t get out of it. It happens a lot. Sometimes it’s just a bad commitment, where you made a commitment before another horse came into the same race and now you can’t get out.
[As an example, Velazquez cited last year’s Belmont, which he won aboard Rags to Riches. Pletcher decided to start Rags to Riches after Gomez, her regular jockey, had committed to ride Hard Spun in the Belmont. Hard Spun’s trainer, Larry Jones, refused to let Gomez out of the commitment.
Velazquez had agreed to ride Slew’s Tizzy, but trainer Greg Fox allowed him out of the commitment to pick up the mount on Rags to Riches].
 
Desormeaux: The agent has a lot to do with keeping things cool. We show up and more or less handle ourselves on the racetrack. I think some of us have communication with some close-knit owners, but for the most part the agent is the one that keeps these things cooled down.
 
Gomez: Having rapport with owners and trainers, that helps keep things running evenly without problems.